Battling The Demons
by dana-maru1
Summary: Charmed meets the X Files ... Mulder and Scully stumble across some supernatural goingson involving Piper and co after a case in Texas and stick around to find out just what's going on.
1. Bar Brawl

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Disclaimer - Okay, okay, I admit it, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Wyatt, Mulder and Scully aren't mine. I dont like it but I guess I have to live with it. They're really Aaron Spelling's and Chris Caster's ...

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Chapter One - Bar Brawl

**Middle of Nowhere, Texas.**

Mulder stared at the digital clock inside the black rental car Scully was driving along a deserted road in the middle of nowhere, Texas. His eyes were stinging from tiredness - they'd been on a case for almost two weeks, and finally, they were heading home. After figuring out that Mulder's theory was right as usual.

His bloodshot eyes were beginning to droop when Scully made a sudden u-turn back in the direction of a run-down bar they'd passed about 10 seconds ago. Mulder held on to the dashboard for dear life - he figured he wouldn't need that strong coffee he'd been thinking about for the past few hours!

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Scully!"

She didn't answer him, just parked in front of the bar and sat shaking her head. She knew she'd seen something, but she just wasn't sure what it was. Now as she looked around, all she could see was darkness, with a few puddles of light where the lights of the bar shone. Maybe she really was as tired as Mulder looked.

_'I must be going nuts. Really flipped my lid. Gotta have, nothing's there for Christ's sake!'_

But she had definitely seen the man in the middle of the road, striding toward the bar entrance with a blue ball of what seemed something electrical, in his right hand, tossing it gently in the air.

"Scully...what's wrong with you?"

"Uh...nothing... just... thought I saw something. Guess I didn't."

Mulder didn't say anything, just looked at her as though he was confirmed Scully's thought that she'd lost her mind. She turned the key in the ignition but Mulder stopped her. She gave him a quizzical look, one eyebrow almost disappearing into her hairline.

"I have to go to the bathroom. You wanna wait here?"

She shook her head and unbuckled her seatbelt. What she'd seen, or what she _thought_ she'd seen had unnerved the woman who barely ever showed any emotion in the 6 years she and Mulder had known each other. He knew something wasn't right but he isn't exactly stupid enough to push the matter - he knows full well what happens when you push his sometimes-fiery partner too hard!

So he simply let her follow him into the rather empty bar, the stench of stale smoke and beer hit them hard as they walked through the door. Some guy in tight jeans, check shirt and cowboy boots gave her a sleazy smile. She had the sudden urge to run to the bathroom herself and vomit. She flashed him that glare we all know and love but he didn't take the hint. Scully moved to the other side of the bar, closer to the bathrooms where she spotted a slender woman, with dark brown hair cascading to the small of her back. The corset top she wore barely covered her cleavage, and her skirt was so short, Scully could almost see her underwear. Scully watched her dance around a tanned man. He wasn't like any of the bikers and cowboys that occupied most of the bar. He wore dress pants and a shirt, the first few buttons unfastened revealing a broad muscular chest.

"You ready to go or are you just going to stare at them all night?"

Scully jumped out of her trance at the sound of Mulder's voice. She turned round to follow him to the exit... they were only two steps away from it when it literally blasted off the hinges. And shattered into god knows how many pieces as the man she saw before stalked inside, barging past them toward the couple Scully had been watching so intently. The woman was sitting on the man's lap when the other guy, dressed all in black with a leather trench coat, extended his hand out in front of him. He aimed it at the woman, who rose to her feet abruptly, like he was controlling her. 


	2. Bar Brawl Part 2

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A/n: Well, I guess it really is about time this fic got an update... sorry I took so long, I lost all the chapters I had written... I also have my very first Harry Potter fic in the works on this site, if you wanna check out the first few chapters!

Chapter Two - Bar Brawl

Middle of Nowhere, Texas.

Paige sat with a crystal hovering over a map when she suddenly jumped up - knocking over the coffee table - and hollered,

"Got her!"

"What are you waiting for then? Let's go!" Came Phoebe's voice in return.

Paige shrugged and shoved a few bottles of various vanquishing potions - along with the map and crystal - in her pocket, as a precaution then took hold of Phoebe and they orbed out. They stopped halfway to their required destination when Phoebe complained she felt dizzy. Well... she wasn't exactly used to traveling half way across the country by orbs.

"I swear, if Leo ever decides to get his ass back down here, I'm gonna kick it right back up there!" Paige declared, pointing at the sky, and she could have sworn she heard him chuckle but shrugged off the thought.

"Yeah, I think I'll help. Ever since he decided to take up the offer of becoming an Elder, Piper's gone right off the rails. It's like she doesn't care about anything anymore, not even Wyatt..."

"I'm sure somewhere in that complex mind of hers, she still cares about Wyatt at least, but I'm still gonna kick Leo's ass!"

"Hey, you're half white-lighter, couldn't you go up there and kick his ass?"

"Nah, not officially a white-lighter yet, just got the orbing power so far..."

"Oh... yeah. Well, I guess we better get going if we wanna bring back our estranged sister before she disappears again."

Paige simply nodded, and they orbed out again.

Scully stood in the same spot at the bar, as if her feet had been glued to the floor. She looked up, and seriously thought she _was_ losing her mind when she saw the swirl of white and blue lights above her head. The orbs of light dispersed and she felt something drop on top of her. Lying splayed out on the ground with a weight on her stomach she realized it wasn't _something_ but rather _someone_. She stared at the red haired woman for a few seconds before she started wriggling underneath the weight.

"Shit, really need to remember to sense an empty spot before I orb in." Paige muttered, standing up and brushing off her clothes.

She was still pretty new to the whole magic thing. When she was done brushing the dust off her jeans, she held a hand out to Scully whom still lay on the floor, stunned, and hoisted her to her feet. Scully stood staring at the woman who'd somehow fallen out of thin air to land on top of her, and then glanced at Mulder, who looked just as shocked as she did. _Just my luck, we've walked straight into another godamn X-file! _She thought when she saw the expression on Mulder's face. He'd gone from shocked to intrigue and she just knew he'd want to investigate this one. Especially when, across the bar where Scully had watched the dark haired woman earlier, the other woman who'd seemingly dropped out of thin air was levitating off the ground. She was hanging in mid air, and one of the men ran toward her, the blue ball in his hand again. He pulled back his arm and let the ball fly through the air. The woman flipped in the air then kicked the man square in the chest before landing deftly on the ground soundlessly.

"Paige, the potion!"

Mulder and Scully stood side by side, looking on in disbelief as the Paige threw a small vial of green liquid at one of the men and he burst into flame before completely disappearing. Scully walked over to where he'd been and noted that there wasn't even a speck of ash left of him.

They watched as Paige and the levitating woman ran toward the other woman they'd seen earlier. Mulder followed closely behind and Scully placed a hand on his shoulder to pull him back but he'd already caught up.

"Wait..."

He said, touching the arm of one of the women, then he and Scully found themselves whizzing through the air in a swirl of the same blue and white light they'd seen two of the woman arrive in.


	3. Meeting the Charmed Ones

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Chapter Three - Meeting the Charmed Ones

Kitchen Floor, Halliwell Manor

The five of them landed on the floor, in the kitchen of the Halliwell Manor. Mulder and Scully, who had not been prepared for the landing, were flat out on their backs. Scully sat up a little too quickly and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She must have hit her head when she landed. Sitting up again, more slowly, she took in her surroundings. Her back leaned against a stool, and the kitchen counter was filled with ingredients you would _not_ use to cook a normal meal. _How the hell did I get here?_ She thought angrily, still surveying the kitchen she had somehow got to.

"Where are we?"

"Oh yeah, like you don't know!" Piper said skeptically

"Actually, we really don't." Mulder piped up.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Piper snapped at him.

"Sorry." Mulder apologized hurriedly; well she did look quite scary when she was pissed...

"Who are you?" Phoebe demanded of them.

"I'm Special Agent Dana Scully and this is my partner Fox..." She watched Mulder wince at the mention of his name, "Mulder. We're with the FBI."

"Oh that's just great, we got the Feds on our backs again!"

"Um, no... Actually, we were just on our way back from a case when we bumped into you... mind telling us who _you_ are?"

"Piper, Paige, and Phoebe Halliwell - you really don't know who we are?"

"No ma'am, no idea."

Piper sighed; this would take a whole lot of explaining.

"Wait - did you say your name was Scully?"

"Yeah... why?"

"Any relation to Melissa?"

"My sister? She's dead."

"I know, we heard. She doesn't blame you, you know."

"And how would you know that?"

"I doubt you'd believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Scully rolled her eyes.

"Well, she was a friend of mine... actually we all knew her. Her magic was pretty impressive."

"Huh? Magic?"

"Told you, you wouldn't believe."

Scully rolled her eyes again; they were obviously talking bullshit, in her opinion. She arched her eyebrow in Mulder's direction, silently asking him what he'd gotten them into this time.

"Would you mind telling us how we got here?"

"Well, Mr. Mulder, that's quite a long story. And I doubt you'd believe that either."

"Well can you at least tell us _where_ here is?"

"San Francisco."

"Ah..." Mulder stated, as though it explained everything, "well, how exactly does one travel from Texas to San Francisco in less than five minutes?"

"Phoebe already told you, you wouldn't understand."

Scully shook her head in disbelief, and finally rose to her feet. Piper held her hands in front of her, and Phoebe took hold of her wrists,

"No, you don't need to do that. We can trust them."

"No offense, Phoebe, but just how do you know that?"

"She doesn't need to do what?"

"Freeze you... or blow you up," she shrugged, turning to Piper, "and they aren't demons."

Both Mulder and Scully's eyes widened. Freezing people? Blowing them up? Demons? They don't actually exist, do they? It was Scully who voiced the thoughts that were on both the Agents' minds.

"Demons? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Didn't Melissa tell you anything before she died?"

"Anything about what?"

"Everything! She was a witch like us, and I can sense that behind the skeptical mask, you have a power too. Just like Missy said. She wanted to help you learn to use it before she died, but she didn't get the chance. So I guess it's up to us..."

"What powers? I don't have any! This is a load of crap. Come on Mulder, I'm getting out of here!"

Mulder either didn't hear her or wasn't listening. She got as far as the door before she realized he hadn't followed and marched back through to the kitchen, in a bid to pull him up from his position on the kitchen floor. He still didn't budge, but stared at the witches in awe.

"Dana... what if we were to show you something that would help you understand?"

"I doubt you can but you might as well try."

Phoebe took Scully's hand and led her to the hall and up the stairs.


	4. Proof?

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Chapter Three - Proof?

The Attic, Halliwell Manor

Paige, Piper and Mulder followed Phoebe and Scully upstairs to the attic. Mulder was last in the short line, so none of them noticed that he was checking Piper out. Well, none of them except Phoebe, who sensed it - being an Empath and all. She chuckled to herself, opening the door that led to the attic. Scully stood next to Mulder, watching Piper lay out five white candles and Paige light some incense. The sisters joined hands and began their chant.

"Here these words, here my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the Great Divide."

"This is bullshit." Scully muttered to Mulder

"Here these words, here my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the Great Divide." She heard them say again.

"Complete bull sh-" She trailed off when her sister's apparition appeared in front of them.

"Ah, the Charmed Ones... What can I do for you?"

"We called on you to prove a point to your sister." Piper replied

"Dana?" Melissa said, with a slightly worried tone in her voice.

"Missy... is it really you?"

"My baby sister! I've waited so long for this moment to come, when you could see me again."

"But ... _how_?"

"Broaden your mind, Dana. Magic, that's how. Piper, Phoebe and Paige are the most powerful witches of our time, Dana and I told them of you. I wanted to help you learn to tap into your powers, but now I hope The Charmed Ones will do that for me..."

"Charmed Ones?"

"Um, that would be us." The sisters said together.

"Wh-what power is it you think I have?"

"I don't know that Dana, but you will learn."

"How do I know this isn't some trick - that you're not just a hologram or something."

"Maybe this will help; Ahab sends his love, Starbuck."

A sob escaped Scully's throat, and a lone tear drifted down her cheek unchecked. No one knew what she and her father nicknamed each other, except her family and Mulder.

"Oh my God, Missy I'm so, so sorry!"

"Don't blame yourself, Dana, it's not your fault." Melissa replied simply.

"But it is! That bullet was meant for me!"

"That may be so, but that doesn't make my passing your fault. You have to move on." She told her younger sister, then turned to a skeptic looking Mulder and said, "Fox... your sister says she wants to speak to you."

"Samantha's dead?" He barely choked out, silent tears falling, leaving a wet trail down his face.

"I'm sorry Fox, but yes she is."

At that moment, a girl appeared next to Melissa. She didn't look much older than fourteen didn't.

"Missy, didn't I tell you he hates being called Fox?"

"Sorry Sammie, it just sounds so much better than Mulder."

"Try telling _him_ that. He only ever let me call him Fox!" She laughed, "Hey Fox, good to have you seeing me again."

"Samantha? Oh my god, what did They do to you?!"

"It doesn't matter now, Fox. I'm okay. I've been trying to tell you that, but you were too busy trying to find me alive. Last time we met, I wasn't ready to accept it, and neither were you. But it's true, we both had to move on. Sooner rather than later, Fox."

"It matters to me, Sam. I want to know how you died."

"Well, you already know, Fox. You read my diary, remember? You know about the tests, and me running away, and then the man that smoked a lot came to get me from the hospital when he found out where I was. I tried to escape - climbed through the window but another man was waiting for me there. So I had to get more tests, and well eventually I couldn't take it anymore."

"I'm so sorry, Sam, I should have protected you."

"Oh will you stop it Fox! It wasn't your fault that our father was selfish enough to let them take me!"

"I'm sorry Dana... you too Fox. But they're calling us back."

"No - don't go!" Both of them yelled together, but they'd already gone.

Mulder and Scully clung to each other, sobbing. All those years that they'd felt so guilty, all the years Mulder had spent trying to find his sister. And now, he had proof that she was in fact gone... He had known it for some time, since she was there in the field with all those other children. Some part of him refused to believe it, but now, he couldn't refuse the truth. She was gone and she was never coming back. Essentially, it was the closure he needed, all he wanted to hear was that she forgave him and she'd given him that.

Scully sobbed into Mulder's shoulder. The guilt and shame she'd felt had somehow been lifted. She knew now that Melissa didn't hold her responsible for what the Syndicate had done to her. It didn't matter to Missy that the bullet was not meant for her, for Melissa always had believed in fate. Something that Dana Scully had never gotten her head around. But, finally, she felt she was released. She was free to grieve. And free to move on, just as Melissa told her she should do.

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This is so not turning out how I planned. Anyways, please let me know what you think. And feel free to send some ideas if you feel it needs improved...


	5. Questions, Anger And Jealousy

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Chapter Five - Questions, Pain and Jealousy

The Kitchen, Halliwell Manor

Later that day, while Piper cooked up lunch, Scully asked the sisters countless questions.

"So how do I know what my power is - if all this really is true?"

"I don't know, we didn't know ours either till we got them."

"Hell, I didn't even know I was a witch until two years ago!" Paige threw in.

"Then how did you know your powers"?

"I didn't, but Piper and Phoebe told me that in the Book of Shadows, it lists the three powers the three Charmed Ones should have. The ability to freeze time - that's Piper's; the power of premonition is Phoebe's; and the ability to move things with your mind - telekinesis - that was Prue's before ... " She trailed off, not wanting to cause Phoebe pain once more.

"Before what?"

"Before she died. Prue was the eldest, the strongest in the Power of Three but a demon killed her two years ago - just before we found out Paige existed."

"How could you not know your own sister existed?" Mulder asked

"Well you see ... our mother fell in love with her Whitelighter - we'll explain that later." Phoebe added, noticing the confusion on both Mulder's and Scully's faces. "And back then, such a relationship was forbidden so when mom fell pregnant with Paige they felt the only way to keep all of them safe was to give her up for adoption."

"That way, the Elders couldn't clip Sam's wings and the demons that were after Piper, Phoebe and Prue almost all our lives - till Grams bound their powers - wouldn't go after me..."

"Didn't work very well though, did it?" Phoebe laughed.

"Nope, guess I have too much of the Halliwell blood to have enough sense to steer clear of trouble instead of running into it!" Paige replied, laughing too.

Mulder excused himself, saying he had to go to the bathroom and left the girls to tell Scully everything else they knew.

"Okay, rewind. What the hell are Elders and Whitelighters?" Scully queried, impatiently, still unsure of what to believe.

"Oh... yeah, well Whitelighters are kind of like guardian angels for witches. They'll give us advice, heal us when we're hurt..."

"Then leave us alone to bring up their children." Piper threw in bitterly before storming out of the kitchen.

Scully looked like she wanted to go after her and at least _try _to comfort her.

"If you want blown up, go ahead. If not I'd leave her be to cool down. She's been pretty pissed off since Leo got promoted..." Phoebe began

"He was our Whitelighter, now he's an Elder." Paige explained.

He walked across the landing, and stopped outside one of the doors when he heard a sob. Knowing it was probably Piper; he hovered outside the room debating whether or not to enter. Well... if she really did have the ability to blow things up on impulse, he didn't really want to risk it. But he just had to open the door; he stood in the doorway

"Piper? Are you okay?"

"What do you think? No I am not okay!" She yelled.

She threw her hands up in temper and the light above her bed shattered around her. _Whoa! _Mulder thought, _maybe this wasn't such a good idea_. But, for some reason, he was drawn to her. He slowly walked into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her and she leaned into him. He wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders and held her as she sobbed. Her shoulders shook with each sob, her breathing was labored and eventually her tears ran dry. Mulder continued to run a gentle hand up and down her back, in an attempt to sooth her. When she began to breathe normally again, he wiped away the tears, that were still on her cheeks, with his thumb, and when she looked up at him the pain that was in her eyes shocked him. He hadn't heard Piper's comment about Leo and wondered what could have happened to cause her to hurt so badly.

"Okay... I'm listening." He told her plainly

"You wouldn't understand." She replied, pain and anger still evident in her shaky voice.

She tossed a teddy bear across the room - one that Leo had given her before they'd gotten married - froze it in midair them promptly blew it to pieces. Another sob escaped Piper's throat and Mulder pulled her close, running his hand down her back to comfort her. Scully, who'd gone to look for her partner, saw them sitting on the end of the bed like that. They looked so close, and comfortable in each other's arms and for the umpteenth time in the six years she'd worked with him, felt that familiar pang of jealousy. She was reminded of when Diane Fowley and Phoebe Green had been around, how close they seemed to Mulder, wishing that it was her being held in his strong arms.

**_Omg sorry this took so long! I've been debating whether or not to keep going as this so isn't going how I planned it would!! Hope you like it._**


	6. Anger and Guilt

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Chapter Six - Anger and Guilt

The Kitchen, Halliwell Manor

That night, Phoebe had given up her bedroom so that Mulder and Scully had somewhere to sleep. Mulder had let Scully take the large bed and slept on the couch by the window. He lay awake, trying to figure out what had made Scully become so suddenly cold toward him. When they'd been working in Texas, they'd opened up to each other, talked about their past, their dreams, everything really. But, now, it seemed that she'd rebuilt all the barriers that had gradually fallen over the years. And, no matter how painful a headache he got wondering about it, he couldn't think of why. He heard her moan in her sleep and glanced across the room at her. He could have sworn she was lying some distance above the mattress but dismissed it. _Maybe I really do need some sleep._ He thought, and rolling over he eventually did fall asleep.

Next door, Piper lay awake too. Leo had left almost six months ago, and left her to raise Wyatt on her own. Making matters worse, she found out she was pregnant again just a month after Leo decided that being an Elder was more important than being a husband and father. She wondered if he knew she was pregnant. Or if he even cared. _Probably not_, she decided. After all, if he did really care about her, she figured he'd have stayed. But he hadn't, he'd left her alone. Just like so many people had done before, her mother had left her when Piper and her sisters needed her most. Then Grams died, then Prue and now Leo was gone too. She'd often wondered if she had any tears left to cry, but she found that each time she thought of all the people who had left, she most certainly did have more tears left unshed. With each person that left her, the anger masked the pain she felt inside. Mixed with the anger and sorrow though, was guilt. She felt guilty that she was angry at Penny, Patti and Prue for dying though she knew it wasn't really their fault. Guilty that she was unable to fill Prue's shoes as the oldest sister. And somehow, she even felt responsible for the fact that Wyatt's father was no longer around.


	7. Attack

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Chapter Seven - Attack

Halliwell Manor

The next morning, Scully was awoken by a loud thump from downstairs. Rubbing sleep from her eyes she quickly dressed and slowly walked down the stairs to check it out, leaving Mulder still asleep on the couch. Halfway down the sound of splintering wood met her ears, followed by the thud of someone falling to the floor. She quickened her pace, peering over the banister as soon as she was far enough down the steps to see. She watched Phoebe kick a strange man in the chest, knocking him over the back of the couch. He got back up again and threw an energy ball in Paige's direction. Paige deflected it but this demon, or whatever he was 'blinked' before it could hit him and it blew up one of those paintings Piper hated. He reappeared behind Piper, and held a dagger to her throat.

"Athame!" Scully heard Paige's voice yell

The athame appeared in Paige's hand a few seconds later, much to the annoyance of the warlock. He shoved a very pregnant Piper to the ground and kicked the athame out of her hands. Scully, still watching from the stairs kept muttering "must not be seen, must not be seen" like a mantra and slowly crept down the last few steps. One of the steps creaked and she held her breath waiting for the guy to come after her. He and the witches glanced quickly at the staircase, and resumed their battle in the living room, all trying to get to the athame. Scully, now in the hallway, watched Phoebe levitate in the air and kick the warlock around the head, sending him flying across the room. He didn't get up for a few minutes, just threw a succession of fireballs in various directions hoping to hit one of the witches, but Phoebe levitated out of the way and Paige orbed around the room. Piper tried to blow him up but somehow it wasn't working. _If blowing them up doesn't work, focus on the athame _Scully remembered being told the day before, _might as well chance it while he's down_ she shrugged to herself and made a dash for the athame that lay between the doorway. She picked it up and threw it through the air, wondering why none of the fireballs were aimed in her direction. Then the warlock burst into flames amidst screams of pain.

**_Soooo sorry for the lack of updates! Please review!_**


	8. Ever felt Invisible?

Scully stood staring at the spot where the warlock had been only seconds before, watching the sisters looking around for signs of who had caused his disappearance.

"Well, that was weird. I didn't orb it… "

She heard Paige say, and found herself still more confused. Not only had she not been noticed by the warlock, now it seems the Charmed Ones were oblivious to her presence. She thought back to how she'd felt the day before, unnoticed and ignored by Mulder, and once again felt that familiar pang of jealousy. Phoebe had sensed the bewilderment before now, but she dismissed the feeling as she knew all three of the women standing in the room felt that way. Now though, she knew this new emotion being introduced was from someone else. She gazed around the room trying to get a stronger sense of this person and finally pinpointed Scully, still standing in the doorway.

Scully saw Phoebe staring in her direction and wondered why she hadn't said anything. Not even a 'Thanks for getting rid of him' and suddenly felt quite pissed off at their ingratitude. Phoebe concentrated on Scully's emotions trying to pin point exactly where she was. Walking toward the doorway, she held her hands out, as if feeling around her for something she couldn't see. And that's when Scully realised, _maybe they couldn't see her. Maybe this was her power._ As she thought it, she felt Phoebe's arm collide with her head.

"Ow! Jeez, did you have to swing your arms around so hard?" She exclaimed, half annoyed, half relieved.

"Dana?"

"No, it's the ghost of Christmas present." She replied sarcastically.

"Uh, how did you do that?"

"I don't know. I was kinda hoping, maybe you could tell me. I mean, I find out yesterday I have some sort of magical power and now suddenly, today after all these years, it reveals itself."

"You don't think the fact that she's on the most powerful Spiritual Nexus could be how she's tapping into her powers, do you?"

It was Paige who asked, and the other three women looked at her questioningly. Though she couldn't see Scully looking at her, it was like she could feel her gaze.

"Oh, right, you don't know what the Nexus is do you? This house was built on one, it's pretty much a source of magical power."

"Okay, so you're suggesting I've only just got my power because of where I am?"

"It's a possibility," Piper answered. "Though you could always have had the power but never realised or were never open enough for it to be revealed."

**

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Okay, okay. I know it's been like FOREVER since I updated this. I just didn't know where I wanted to go with it for a while, and then I, urm, kinda forgot all about it. Please don't lynch me! Besides, I'm writing up the next chapter or few tonight so if ya want them, you have to let me live!**


	9. Boom!

Scully spent much of the rest of that day reading about magic, in the Book Of Shadows. She was becoming less and less sceptical at the turning of every page. The first hundred pages or so were about the Charmed Ones' and other Wiccans' destinies. She quickly learned that good had been fighting evil through the centuries and that the Source of all Evil was gone now, thanks to the three women who'd now be mentoring her to control her power of invisibility. She flipped the pages, skim-reading every piece of information on each, until she came to Balthazar. This section, she gave quite a lot of attention, considering all the inside information on him. She read with great interest about his demon half, and his human half. And again found herself wondering about her relationship with Mulder.

Mulder, as far as she knew had no connection to the Underworld whatsoever but she couldn't help but compare how she felt about Mulder with how Phoebe felt about Cole - Balthazar's human identity. Like Phoebe and Cole, she and Mulder weren't supposed to have a relationship because the FBI frowned upon co-workers dating. Like Phoebe, she found herself falling for Mulder even though she shouldn't. Unlike Phoebe though, she hoped, she wouldn't get as badly burned by love.

"_Wow she reads quickly."_ Piper thought, as she entered the attic.

"What?" Scully asked aloud.

"I didn't say anything " Piper answered, confused.

"_Invisibility is a psychic's power, I hope she can't read minds too!"_

"Actually, now that you mention it, I think I can." Scully replied, slightly overwhelmed at this new information.

At that moment, Leo chose to Orb in to check on his and Piper's son. Scully screamed and looked around for an athame.

"It's okay," Piper said. "It's just Leo, remember we told you about the new Elder?" She added bitterly.

Scully suddenly felt very awkward, being in the middle of this little reunion. She once again found herself invisible, having wished she could just disappear so as not to be involved in a possible battle of the exes. Sneaking silently past the bickering pair, she left the attic unnoticed and went to the kitchen, where Paige was cooking up some sort of potion. She looked up as Scully entered the room.

"Oh hi Dana, seen Piper anywhere?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "She's in the attic… With Leo."

Paige groaned, she knew this wouldn't be good. Especially since now Piper was quite visibly pregnant, her second son due in just a month. She knew Leo would have a lot of questions about that, considering their second son had come back from the future not so long ago. And, in fact was still here - off demon hunting or something for the last couple of weeks.

Paige and Scully listened to Piper's voice grow steadily louder and louder until -

BOOM!

An almighty explosion shook the house.


	10. What the?

"What the hell?"

Could be heard, not only from the two women in the kitchen but from Phoebe in the family room. Scully and Paige ran into Phoebe in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. Literally. Landing in a crumpled heap, three of them rubbed at the places they knew would be bruised soon. Phoebe stood first, massaging her lower back with one hand while helping Scully up with the other.

"Thanks, Phoebe."

"Hey, a little help here too would be nice!" Paige huffed, half heartedly.

They pulled Paige to her feet and the three witches ran upstairs to the attic… Cautiously opening the attic door to reveal the smoking remains of what used to be furniture, Paige wondered aloud what the heck had happened. Piper standing in the centre of the room with her hands still raised and a murderous look on her face gave them the answer. She'd clearly just blown up half the room out of anger, or frustration. Leo, who had orbed out just as Piper had attempted to blow him up too, orbed back in. Sure, she couldn't actually kill him but it still hurt when she tried to.

"What's going on?"

It was Scully who posed the question.

"Well, Leo here thought he'd be so kind as to drop in after **months **of having no contact." She paused…"So while I'm busy looking after _his_ son and carrying our second, he's too busy with his Elder duties when I need him but hey he just drops in when _he_ feels like it! And … well, this is what happens when I'm _really _ticked off. "

"Piper you can't go blowing the whole house up just because you're pissed off."

"I wasn't trying to blow the whole damn house up - I was aiming for you, Leo!"

"Here we go again." Paige muttered, thankfully quiet enough so Piper couldn't hear.

"Wait, did you just say you're pregnant? With Chris?"

"Are you blind or just plain stupid?" Piper asked him, rhetorically.

Phoebe, Piper and Scully retreated as silently as they could back downstairs to avoid any chances of themselves being blown up next. And also just to avoid the huge fight they - well Paige and Phoebe - knew to expect when Piper was this angry.

In the living room, Phoebe switched on the TV and started flicking through channels, not really concentrating on what was on the screen as the voices from the attic were growing increasingly louder. When Piper and Leo got loud enough that Phoebe, Paige and Scully could make out every syllable clearly, they braced themselves for another explosion. Thankfully, it never came. Instead, they heard two sets of footsteps on the stairs. It finally occurred to Scully that she hadn't seen Mulder all afternoon, just as Piper and Leo emerged at the foot of the stairs. Noticing the smiles on their faces, Scully temporarily forgot to wonder where Mulder was.

"Hey guys, what you smiling about?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh nothing really, I'm just pleased that Chris is still a part of the future." Leo replied vaguely.

"And even better is his dad's going to be part of that future too."

Phoebe and Paige looked at Piper quizzically, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Piper laughed a little, deciding to let them try to figure it out for themselves first.


	11. The Future's Bright

When they got to the living room, Phoebe switched on the TV and started flicking through channels, though she wasn't really concentrating on what was on the screen as the voices from the attic were growing increasingly louder. When Piper and Leo got loud enough for Phoebe, Paige and Scully to make out every syllable clearly, they braced themselves for another explosion. Thankfully, it never came. Instead, they heard two sets of footsteps on the stairs. It finally occurred to Scully that she hadn't seen Mulder all afternoon, just as Piper and Leo emerged at the foot of the stairs. Noticing the smiles on their faces, Scully temporarily forgot to wonder where Mulder was.

"Hey guys, what are you smiling about?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh it's nothing really, I'm just pleased that Chris is still a part of the future." Leo replied vaguely.

"What's even better is that his dad's going to be part of that future too."

Phoebe and Paige looked at Piper quizzically, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Piper laughed a little, deciding to let them try to figure it out for themselves first.

Phoebe and Paige continued to look questioningly at Piper and she couldn't hold it anymore.

"Leo's going to ask the Elders to let him go back to being a Whitelighter so he can be around for me and the boys!"

"Wow that's great! Does that mean you'll get to be our Whitelighter again, Leo?"

"Well I'm not sure Paige, but hopefully things will work out that way."

Leo orbed out, to discuss this with his fellow Elders while the three sisters, and Scully chatted happily about pretty much everything.

"Hey, did Mulder happen to say where he was going today?" Scully tried to ask casually.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot, he said to tell you he'd got something to settle for Valentine's but he'll be back later tonight."

Scully's heart sank, she'd forgotten Valentine's Day was the next day. Somehow, she knew whatever plans for it Mulder had wouldn't include her. But hey, a girl can dream can't she?

"You really like him, don't you."

"What makes you say that?" Scully replied, taken aback.

"I can sense emotions, remember. I can feel what you're feeling when you look at him. You love him."

"Don't be ridiculous! He's just a friend. We'll never be more than just friends." She added the last part with a slightly bitter tone.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that." Phoebe told her.

"And just how do you know that?"

"I get the same feelings from him when he looks at you."

"Are you sure he's looking at me? Mulder doesn't feel anything more than friendly toward me. Trust me."

"If you can't trust me, trust my powers at least. They're not usually wrong."

Scully shrugged a little and tried not to get her hopes up. She knew magic was probably accurate but she tried to reason with herself that it couldn't always be one hundred percent right.


	12. Feelings

Mulder arrived at the Halliwell manor just as Piper was making a start on dinner. He went to the kitchen first, to get a drink.

"Hey, where've ya been?" Piper greeted him cheerily.

"What's with the sudden attitude change?" Mulder couldn't help asking.

"Leo's decided to go back to being a Whitelighter so he can be with his family again." She replied chirpily.

"That's good." He told her with a genuine smile.

"What did you get up to today anyways? You've been gone for hours."

"Oh, just arranging a few reservations, hoping a certain lady will accept the invitation."

"You really do love her don't you?"

"Who?" He asked, trying to pretend he wasn't talking about Scully.

"Dana. It's obvious you know. Just not to her."

"I wish there was some magic way to tell how she felt about me." He sighed.

"Well, there are a few things actually. One being, Phoebe's empath power." She smiled.

"So I just have to ask Phoebe?"

"No, I could just tell you."

"How's that?"

"Because we've already had a talk about her feelings for you. Phoebe sensed it before."

"And, how does she feel exactly?"

"The same way you do about her, Mulder."

Mulder mumbled 'thanks' and left the kitchen, leaving Piper to tend to dinner.

He joined the rest of the women, and Leo in the living room where they were watching Wyatt orb random household items around the room, showing off. He was in his playpen and each time one of his aunts took something off him he shouldn't have, he simply orbed it back to him again like it was some sort of game. He looked at the glass cabinet that still held all of the things from Piper and Leo's wedding and orbed the photo of his parents to him. He sat gazing at it as if he knew things would be like that again, for an 18 month old, he seemed to know a lot of what was going on with his adult family.

Piper emerged from the kitchen carrying the dinner plates, letting Paige set the table as she went to get the dishes of chicken, potatoes and other various vegetables for dinner. Everyone sat around the table, helping themselves to whatever they pleased, chatting happily about Leo being home and what plans they had for Valentine's day. Both Mulder and Scully stayed out of this particular part of the conversation, Scully because she didn't have any plans… that she knew of. And Mulder stayed quiet so as not to spoil the surprise he had for his partner.

* * *

**Oops, meant to upload this chapter last night ... But you'll just have to wait till Tomorrow to see what Mulder's Valentine's plans are, as I think I'm spoiling you enough giving you two chapters at once teehee**


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